July 21, 2010

In her new movie, Salt, she plays a character that was originally going to be played by Tom Cruise. Some changes to the script did need to be made: "For example, the male character had a child, and he knows he’ll be in danger much of the time. And we realized that, as a woman, if you knew your life was at risk, you’d never have a child." And:

The slender Angelina also had to modify the character's demeanor to convincingly play a tough, gun-slinging spy. "The physicality had to change too," she says. "I’m smaller than everybody, so how do I go up against a bunch of men without looking silly? How do I fight?"

She adds: "We made her meaner than a guy, and dirty. She uses the walls, the fact that she’s lighter and can throw herself around. It’s the Chihuahua up against the big dogs.”

The slender Angelina... she's a lot skinnier than she was when she played Lara Croft. Compare. I prefer the strong Lara Croft look, but I appreciate the attitude that Jolie seems to have even when she's too skinny.

The women are becoming our fighter class. If we were to put a Palin type up against an Al Gore type she would destroy him before he knew what personality to pretend to have. Social intelligence is the big plus for women like Jolie and Palin. They can add courage to that, but men have trouble adding social intelligence to their strength.

I think that the Lara Croft picture is a professional photo shoot and possibly altered as well. I remember at the time people were commenting that she wasn't that busty.

Fabulous that she is playing a "male" role. "I would like to play Bond." Ha! That's the sort of feminism I like. Not... waaa, waaa, waaa, Bond Girls are so demeaning (though she might have said that as well) but "I would like to play Bond."

The fantasy fighting I don't mind at all. As someone or other once said... a guy couldn't do it either. He'd be just as dead. As long as she's not standing there trading punches I don't mind. (And I *do* notice... the pilot of "Covert Affairs" had the ubiquitous fight scene where the girl is in a cage fight with the bad guy... oh, not in a *cage* of course!.. they did actually have him "win" but it took a while and she walked away and I *did* notice.)

tradguy, don't go all goopy PC on me. I've got more social intelligence in my li'l finger than that walking nightmare Jolie. She's practically killed her dad and guaranteed rationalizes it as being "authentic."

Ricpic... You are probably way ahead of Jolie in real life. She is just an actress. But she has done well in a UN diplomacy role in real life. Her Dad and her are probably much closer in political opinions than we know. I maybe the one here that is a quart low on social intelligence. I do enjoy fighting.

So... there is a geriatric spy movie coming out. Saw the trailer before "Inception". It's got Bruce Willis as a retired spy and some old English lady who has simply *got* to be someone who played a spy as a young actress.

From her lifestyle, Jolie seems like a complete whack-job, but she often says interesting things so she deserves some credit. Also, she doesn't self-identify as a liberal.

I like this bit from an interview: 'If anybody comes into my home and tries to hurt my kids, I've no problem shooting them,' she says with a dry candour.

'I bought original, real guns of the type we used in Tomb Raider for security. Brad and I are not against having a gun in the house, and we do have one. And yes, I'd be able to use it if I had to. I could handle myself. I think there are certain combat skills that would come out. I tend to want to throw an elbow. I don't know why. I've learned all the punches, head butts and kicks – yet getting someone with my elbow is my first instinct.

'I think it's good for anybody to learn a skill when it comes to fight training – be it kung fu, boxing or kick-boxing – because self-defence is important. Brad and I want our kids to learn it. They're going to get into a fight some day, so they might as well learn how to take care of themselves.

She's also a knife collector.

The women-beating-up-men thing is silly, but so what? Carrie-Anne Moss pulled it off pretty convincingly in "The Matrix"; Scarlett Johannson not so well in "Iron Man 2."

The Blonde, a real black belt and a dead shot with a .45, can take care of herself, but she also says that, up against several men, she would prefer to keep her distance and rely on firepower. I have a feeling Angie's fight scenes would look more like Donald O'Connor and Gene Kelly than Bruce Lee

PS If you ever saw, "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", you know she's been working up to this for a while.

The women-beating-up-men thing is silly, but so what? Carrie-Anne Moss pulled it off pretty convincingly in "The Matrix"

Agree with you about Carrie-Moss... but in general even men-beating-up-men in many action movies winds up looking silly the way it's done. Probably the most realistic sequence is in Raiders of the Lost Ark - the swordsman twirling his scimitar around, and then Indiana Jones just impatiently shooting him.

"but in general even men-beating-up-men in many action movies winds up looking silly the way it's done."Like the Bourne movies. The beatings he gets - and not a bruise, not a scratch, not a drop of blood. Usually. I think in the last one, he did injure his hand. But all those blows to his face and not a scratch.

The only problem I have with this movie Salt is the surprise when, yet again, a woman is given a starring role in an action film. It's not new, it's not different, it's not edgy. Heck, we've even seen Angelina Jolie do it before! How many times can the the same thing be a blow for feminism?

Implausible fight scenes aside (we're caring about that now?) Salt looks more intelligent than the average Hollywood film, and even marginally pro-American, unlike the Bourne franchise, so I'll give it a chance.

@ Salamandyr Oh come on, the male action movies are realistic? How many of those have i suffered over the years. Don't even get me started on car chases. That's when I make popcorn. They should become as commonplace as the guys fantasy heroes.

I do like some of them, but it takes a deft touch (and sometimes a poncho). The Man With No Name movies, Matrix One esp the fight scene between Neo and Morpheus - that was choreographed like a dance, and Bourne Identity - just the first one before it went to far over the top.

The only female action hero I thought was really well done so far was Trinity in Matrix 1.